This month's Virtual Tasting is tonight and is the 2008 Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling. As usual, I will be opening the wine about 7pm and updating this post with my notes along the way. Please join us in trying this wine and posting your notes.

7:15 Update: On the hottest day in Seattle's recorded history, how fortunate am I to have picked a white wine for this go round? Truly I can't take credit for this as it was Paul at Swordfern Wines/Full Pull that made the suggestion. In any event, the bottle is open. Let the Virtual Tasting begin!

7:30 Update: Initial specs. Screw top cap. Wine at 48 degrees although certainly won't stay at that temp for that long. I chilled the glasses to try to keep the wine cooler longer.

7:45 Update: Pale in color. Lots of mineral notes along with tropical fruit on the nose. As the wine opens, traces of floral aromas start to show. On the taste, crisp and tart like a Granny Smith apple. A Germanic style with restrained alcohol levels (will check the actual percentage and list later). My initial thought is that I am quite impressed, especiallyat this price point.

8:30 Update: Some additional detail. Wine is 100% Riesling from Evergreen Vineyard, Washington State. 12.2% alcohol. Lists for $12. I purchased it for $10.19 at Pete's Bellevue. Residual Sugar is 1.55. Personally I didn't think the RS showed through all that much. The Charles Smith website describes it as a "Mosel-style" Riesling. Fermented i n100% stainless steel.

8:45 Update: Still liking this wine. I would give it a "*" by my rating system. The layerig of the wine gives it some complexity that makes me bump it up.

Don't see other reviews, although I thought there were some out there. CellarTracker tasting notes give an average of 87 points with a mean of 88 from 15 tasting notes.

9:00 Update: Definitely agree with folks who are saying tangerine. A lot of it shows up on this wine. There is also a light citrus/lemon component that shows up at the tail end of the nose as the wine gets a bit warmer. Thanks to all who participated in this month's tasting. We'll do it all again next month. Let me know if you have thoughts on what the wine should be.

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comments

Impressive for a $10 wine! Wow! It's hot out and nice to have the wine cold! I get tropical stuff all over the nose. Pineapple, hints of coconut. Also some minerally hints with a tinge of lemon. (I'm not sure what a tinge is, but it sounded different than hint). Even some tangerine stuff with some acidity on the palate. Like it and would get it again. Yay!

Very impressive low-cost wine.Agree with Li about the pineapple and the citrus and coconut (and the damned heat--damn!); however I also got a little grassiness on the nose initially and a lot of tangerine after it had a chance to sit for a minute. It also has a bigger mouth-feel: a richness that suggests more residual sugar than it actually has.

I'd definitely get this wine again. Not sure it's a good food wine, or really when the weather is this hot, you might want something with a little less body (like a vinho verde).